1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a new type of aircraft seat.
2. Description of the prior art
Available space in aircraft is an ongoing problem. To maximize the profit on an aircraft flight, the greatest possible number of passengers must be carried. A seat must be provided for each passenger. The problem then arises of providing the greatest number of seats in a given space, that of the aircraft cabin. It is also necessary for the passengers to be comfortable.
International safety standards impose a minimum space for each passenger. For example, in the event of an accident, if the head of a passenger is thrown forward, it must not strike the back of the seat in front, the passenger being secured by a seat belt, of course. If this standard is only just complied with, the seat cushion occupies two thirds of the distance between two successive seat backs and the remaining third is available for the legs of the seated passenger and for moving around, in particular to access the seat.
In economy class in particular, the small space for moving around between two rows of seats generally prevents natural movement, requiring a passenger to move sideways and to lean over, to adapt to the inclination of the seat backs.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new aircraft seat facilitating movement of passengers between two successive rows of seats.
To this end, the present invention proposes an aircraft seat including a seat cushion and a seat back, wherein the seat cushion has a rear portion along the seat back and a front portion of complementary shape to the rear portion to form a complete seat cushion, the rear portion is mobile between a raised position and a lowered position, and coupling means connect the front portion to the rear portion so that when the front portion is in the raised position along the seat back the front portion is in the lowered position, in which at least part of it is retracted under the rear portion, and when the rear portion is in its lowest position along the seat back the front portion is in a raised, advanced position at the same height as the rear portion to form therewith the seat cushion of the seat for receiving a seated passenger.
This kind of seat provides more room to move around when the front portion of the seat cushion is retracted under the rear portion, while offering a comfortable seat with good support for the thighs when the front portion is aligned with the rear portion.
In one advantageous embodiment, spring means spring-load the rear portion of the seat into its raised position, enabling the seat to function xe2x80x9cautomaticallyxe2x80x9d, i.e. without the passenger having to concern himself with the position of the seat cushion.
In one embodiment of a seat according to the invention the rear portion of the seat cushion is adapted to slide along the seat back.
The front portion moves from its lowered (retracted) position to its raised (advanced) position with a movement that is a combination of a movement in translation toward the front and a rotation, for example. It is nevertheless also possible to make provision for only a movement in translation or only a rotation.
In one embodiment, the front portion of the seat is connected to the rear portion by at least two links forming a deformable trapezium and one of these links is connected by a third link to a fixed point.
The front and rear portions of the seat cushion preferably each account for substantially half the surface area of the seat cushion when they are at the same height.
In an advantageous embodiment, the seat includes latching means for latching the rear portion of the seat cushion in its raised position. The seat can then be used for a child, in the manner of a highchair.
For improved resistance to heavy loads, the seat includes a fixed reinforcement disposed substantially vertically underneath it, for example, and the rear portion of the seat cushion has a housing to receive an upper portion of the reinforcement when the rear portion is in its lowered position. The reinforcement can consist of two vertical tubes linked by a transverse bar.